1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved air bed which may be used in vehicles, in the home, or in other locations.
2. Prior Art
Air beds have been in common usage for many decades. Such beds typically comprise (i) a single, large, air-tight bladder-shaped in the form of a mattress, or (ii) a plurality of air-tight bladders arranged together to form a mattress. One of the common forms of bladders used for air beds is a cylindrical tube formed of vinyl. Using a plurality of cylindrical tube bladders provides several advantages. Among them is the ability to make continued use of the air bed if only one or two of the tubes is damaged and forms a leak. Only the effected tube needs to be replaced (instead of the entire mattress in the event a leak occurs), and the tubes may be disposed relative to each other in a variety of ways, so that chairs and sofas comprised of air-filled compartments, as well as mattresses, could be formed.
It has also been known to have the tubes of an air bed connected to a pump assembly to vary the air pressure within each tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,149, issued to Welch, discloses a mattress having two or three layers of inflatable tubes, each tube disposed laterally across the bed. The tubes are connected to an air pump in a manner such that the tubes are inflated and deflated in a sequential order so that a person lying on it has his weight supporting areas continually changed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,941, issued to Wierwille, discloses an automobile seat having an air flotation assembly comprised of a plurality of rubber air tubes connected to a control panel of an air pump assembly so that the pressures in the air tubes may be manually adjusted relative to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,303,518, issued to Ingram, U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,547, issued to Sato, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,286, issued to Bentley, disclose mattresses and cushions having compartments connected to air pump assemblies in which the air pressures may be individually controlled.
However, none of the prior art air beds or cushions comprise such structure so as to provide the comfort and versatility of the air bed of the present invention.